Finding An Emerald
by Fabie
Summary: [Thoroughly Modern Millie] Just a slightly fluffy JimmyMillie story. I don't know if there are many Millie fans on here, but it's worth a try to post it.
1. Not For The Life of Me

"Manhattan… I prepared for you." Mumbling, she slid down against the cold brick wall, the grooves rumpling the fabric of her yellow dress. Her skinny legs stuck out from underneath the uneven hemline – she'd cut it herself - showing pale skin unused to sun. A run was visible in her stockings, going down all the way to her shoeless right foot.

People rushed all around her, avoiding her legs as easily as if they were not there all. New Yorkers were certainly a wonder, if Millie Dilmount had ever seen one at all. How she wanted to be one of them – so self assured! Always busy, always moving, and most of all – experienced. New Yorkers_ lived_, really lived, like Millie had never lived. But it didn't look like Millie was going to get her chance. Not ten minutes in the city and she'd lost her luggage, shoe, hat, and purse. She had nowhere to go, her clothing was a mess, and she'd ripped up her ticket home.

Groaning with frustration, Millie shifted her leg. She felt something bump it and suddenly a man she didn't know was sprawled in her lap in a far too … er, familiar way. Blonde hair ruffled, the man picked himself up with a strangely arrogant air for a person who'd just fallen into a stranger's lap.

"So do all of you country girls go around tripping people?"

"I beg your pardon!"

"You're obviously not from around here." The man told her promptly, settling against the wall next to her like an old friend. His eyes skimmed her, and Millie squirmed under his critical gaze. "And it doesn't look like you've got much, so you must be one of those girls from a small town with all the_ big_ dreams." He laughed, while Millie scowled, and went on, "Let me guess – Oklahoma? Alabama?"

"I'm not one of_ those_ anything." Millie replied indignantly. "I'm all my own. Different, new!"

He laughed at her again; throwing his head back in a way that Millie had to admit was annoyingly handsome.

"Who are you, anyway? I don't need some stranger falling all over me and then laughing like a madman at everything I say!"

"Excuse me, miss? Falling all over you?" He laughed again – it seemed that was all he did. "I'm afraid _I_ didn't need some dreamer girl tripping me today, as I was on my way to meet a date." He leaned his head back, glancing up at the sky. "But you are amusing, so I figure being late can't hurt."

"You didn't answer the question." Millie replied coldly, glaring at him with all her might. He barely seemed to notice.

"Jeez, don't get in a huff. It's not like you've told me _your _name, you know."

"It's Millie, Millie Dilmount." She told him stiffly. "And yours?"

"Jimmy." He shrugged. "Now, I really should meet my girl. But first –" He grabbed her hand, fishing in his pocket for something while she tried to yank away. "Hold still, will you? I'm not gonna attack you or anything." He produced a pen from somewhere inside his jacket, and wrote an address on her hand.

"What, do you expect me to meet you at your apartment or something, because I am certainly _not_ —"

"Millie, Millie, Millie…" He grinned wolfishly at her, dropping her hand and beginning to stand up. "I do not have to coax _that_ kind of company out of random girls on the street. That's the address for a hotel. I suggest you go there and wire your parents home for money and a ticket home. And don't worry – the hotel gets tons of actresses, it's used to girls who can't pay."

And he walked away, laughing and arrogant, while Millie glared daggers into his back.


	2. The Nuttycracker Suite

**A/N:** Eeep! Forgot a disclaimer on that first chapter. So, Disclaimer: I don't own Thoroughly Modern Millie or anything associated with it. Okay - on with the story! I'm not too fond of this chapter; I couldn't seem to get it quite right...but I hope you like it. :)

Jimmy made a brisk pace down the street, people swarming all around him. He took a right, ducking into an alley, and suddenly he was alone. The noise of the city faded into the background as he ventured into the darkness. About 20 feet in, the blackness rendered him blind and he had to rely on his savvy of the area. Undeterred, he plunged on, certain of his way.

Before he knew it he'd bumped into a soft, feminine form and he was stumbling forward. Stopping himself, he caught the girl in his arms, unable to see anything but a flash of white skin and blue sparkles in the pitch darkness.

"Millie?" A high-pitched voice came out of the darkness. "How do we get in?"

"I- hold on, Gloria, I'm sorry –" The responding voice came from a few inches below him, in his arms.

"Well, you seemed to have a habit of being in my way when I'm trying to get to a date, eh, Miss Millie?"

"Jimmy!" The form in his arms twisted, backing away from him. "Ow! Sorry, Ruth."

"Who is that, Millie? A _man _you know?" He heard giggles in the darkness. His eyes were beginning to adjust, and he could see Millie standing in front of him, her pale skin standing out, wearing a flashy dress that didn't fit her.

"Unfortunately." She said, glaring up at Jimmy. He grinned back at her.

"Listen, I'd love to banter around with you now, kid, but –"

"Kid!" Her scowl deepened as she snapped at him.

"Do you _ever _smile?"

"Only when you're not around." Millie crossed her arms over her chest in a fashion that was oddly adorable.

"Hey mister –" One of the girl with Millie –Ruth, was it? – tapped him on the shoulder. "Do you know how to get in?"

"It's VIP only. Sorry." He grinned, sliding around the girl towards the hidden door.

"And you're a VIP?" Millie asked, skepticism evident in her voice.

"But of course." He flashed a grin at her. "Now if you'll excuse me -"

"Well then you can get us in!" Millie pushed past her friends in the crowded alleyway to his side.

"And why would I do that?" Jimmy raised a brow at her, and her face fell.

"Well – I –"

"Look, Millie, your scowling is just loads of fun, but I have an actual girl to meet in there. And she would probably not be excited if I walked in with an entourage of other girls, pretty as you all are."

More giggles.

"Please?" She looked pleadingly up at him. "Just take us in there, and we won't talk to you or act like we're with you and ..."

"Well …"

"Please!"

"If you smile."

"What?"

"I'll take you inside if you give me a smile - a sincere one."

She wrinkled her brow at him a moment, as if undecided. Then, suddenly, she broke out into one of the prettiest grins he'd ever seen.

"Alright then." He led the troupe of girls into the speakeasy, leaving them in the doorway without another word.

At a corner table he found who he was looking for. He'd met Rose at a friend's party a while back and she'd taken to him almost immediately. She had wild blonde locks and a sharp tongue – she was his kind of girl. So when Rose had suggested a date at the speakeasy, well, he wasn't the kind of guy to refuse.

"Hey. Dance?" Her red painted lips grinned at him as she slid from her chair. Her hand grasped his and a flask was shoved into his other hand. "C'mon." She pulled him onto the dance floor.

They had been dancing for a half hour now, and he was beginning to wish he had spent a bit more time hanging around with Millie and her friends. Rose seemed to want only two things: vodka and music. Her dancing was a bit insane for him - sure, he liked fast-paced and close, but she had seemed to lose the point of dancing entirely.

The lights dimmed as the music picked up; changing into the kind of dance he would love if he had the right dance partner. Rose had taken her pearls from her neck and was now entangling him in the long string of beads for a reason he couldn't quite discern. He tried to dance away from the beads only to end up with his back against another dancer. In a flurry of confusion, the beads ended up around the man he'd bumped into and his dance partner as well. He twisted around, trying to disentangle himself from the mess, and ended up breaking away from the beads. He found himself face to face with Millie, Rose and Millie's partner dancing away.

"Oh." Millie said awkwardly. She looked up at him, hesitant, and then broke into dance. Her moves were erratic and all wrong, but very … her. Shaking his head and grinning, he grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him. Her big brown eyes stared up at him, surprised, and he began dancing – leading her with him. She was a good dancer, it turned out, and soon they fell into an easy rhythm.

"Hey Jimmy." Millie's soft voice broke into his haze. The music was still raging on with full force, but the pair had slowed their pace and were now doing nothing more than swaying back and forth, Millie tucked in Jimmy's arms. It might have been romantic, if Jimmy had any interest in romance.

"Yeah?" He mumbled, feeling her shift in his grasp.

"Let's sit down." She replied, her arms finding their rest around his neck. "My legs are killing me."

He led her over to the nearest table, easing her down into a chair. She let her arms fall from his neck, folding them on top of the table as a nest for her head

"It's already one in the morning." Jimmy commented, leaning back in his chair. He was used to late nights, but apparently Millie had less endurance.

"Oh my God." Millie sat up straight. "I've got to get back to the hotel."

"Why, you have a meeting at 1:30 or something?" Jimmy teased, raising a brow.

"No, no – I have work in the morning." She groaned. "God, I'm exhausted. I'll never impress Mr. Graydon this way…"

"Mr. Graydon?"

"My boss." She stood up, wavering a little in her heels. "Not to mention future husband."

"Husband?" Jimmy frowned, not liking the small pang he felt at her words.

Millie flushed pink. "I didn't mean to say that. I just need sleep, is all." Jimmy stood up, catching Millie's arm.

"I'll walk you. You're in no condition to go wandering around alone at this time of morning."

"Mmkay." Millie mumbled, letting herself lean on Jimmy as they walked. He had to admit it was almost cute the way she was so tired, the way she seemed to need him. Almost.

They made their way out of the speakeasy without running into any of Millie's friends – or Rose – and Jimmy maneuvered their way down the pitch black alley with ease. As they emerged onto the street, they passed a cop going into the alley and Jimmy picked up his pace, dragging an unwilling Millie along with him.

"Let me guess, you're staying at the Priscilla?" Jimmy half-grinned at her, and she nodded sleepily, too tired to glare at his jest.


	3. Author's Note

**A/N:**

Oh my goodness, I am SO sorry I let this go for so long. I had a bout of writer's block and I just couldn't get past it. Then I saw Millie again and was raring to go write about it (the Jimmy was a boy I was absolutely head over heels for) but Mr. Jimmy and I had a falling out and I just couldn't write/listen/whatever anything Millie…

Well as you know it's been a long time, I've come to accept it all, and I had a dream about this and it inspired me! Hahaha, it's silly, but I promise you chapter 3 is almost done. It'll be up either today or tomorrow.

If anyone's reading this anymore, anyway. Hope you are, I'm really happy with the way this next chapter's coming along. :)

- Fabie.


	4. Jimmy

"It's beautiful out here." The wind blew at Millie's hair, flowing across her skin as she leaned her arms on the balcony railing. The skyline soared before her, lights twinkling as far as the eye could reach.

"Yeah." Jimmy replied softly, walking up next to her, eyes not at all on the lights. He turned his head determinedly to the side, willing himself to see the sky the way she did – but nothing seemed quite that beautiful compared to her, and he wanted to hit himself for it.

"Can you believe I just did that?" She asked softly, guiltily, and he could feel her gaze upon him by the way his left cheek suddenly felt a little warmer. "I ruined Dorothy Parker's beautiful dress…I can't even go back in there."

"It's okay, really. She'll live." Jimmy assured her. "I'll stay out here, then. Keep you company."

"Would you really?" The sweet delight in her voice made Jimmy grin. It almost felt like she liked him… He shook his head.

"Of course. You're my date, after all." He placed both palms on the railing, leaning forward, letting the wind toss his sandy-blonde hair around.

"_One_ of your dates." Millie reminded him, "What if Miss Dorothy needs you?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Oh, she's … working the room. Convinced someone will give her a role if she's nice enough. I guess if it'd work at all, it'd be for her."

"Yeah," She agreed softly. "She must be the sweetest person I know."

"What, not me?" Jimmy asked, feigning offense. "That hurts, Millie."

"I'm sure." The dark-haired woman replied sarcastically, "You're oh so fragile."

"I could be, you know." He said lightly, laughter in his voice. They stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, and all he wanted to do was put his arm around her, to breathe her scent in. But moments this sweet never stayed long between them.

"You know, I wish Graydon were here to see this…I bet he'd find it romantic."

"Please. Would you give up talking about that man for one second?" Jimmy replied harshly, wounded, his brow creasing with a frown.

"Why?" Millie asked, eyes narrowing as he turned to face her. "I'm going to marry the guy!"

"Oh, really? Has he kissed you then?"

"Well, no, but he's a stoic type…"

"That's a rather gentle portrayal of a man who thinks of you as nothing more than a typewriter on legs."

Affronted, Millie stepped back. "You're wrong. I see a side of him that you don't."

"When _do_ you see him outside of work? Because it seems to me that you've been taking up a lot of points on _my_ dance card lately." He said snarkily, biting back the sudden urge to pull her against him.

"I think we _have_ been spending too much time together!" Millie's words felt like a knife to his side. "It's doing no good to my relationship with Graydon at –"

"Will you shut up about him for one second?" Jimmy snapped, squeezing his eyes together in frustration.

"No! I'm going to be his _wife_!" She spit back, tone scathing, without a moment's hesitation. "What are you going to be, butterfly boy? Flower to flower to –"

"What do you care? Does it bother you?" Jimmy asked her, trying to keep his tone furious rather than hopeful, looking away so she could not read his eyes.

"No," Millie replied stiffly. "I am merely suggesting you _grow up_." A silent moment passed, a tense moment that felt like years rather then seconds, and she spit one small word from between clenched teeth that proved they both had some growing up to do.

"Skirt-chaser."

"Gold-digger." He stepped towards her defiantly, eyes ablaze.

"Womanizer."

"Jezebel." Oh, he could feel his skin getting hot; they were mere inches apart now…

"Casanova!" Fists at her sides, no sooner at the words hissed past her lips than Jimmy's were there…he wanted to grab her and shake her, he wanted to scream, he wanted to run away – but most of all, he wanted to kiss her, and so he did.

The kiss was passionate before it even began, and Jimmy could feel its heat through his whole body. His hands slipped from her face to her hips in the blink of an eye, tugging her body against his. He heard her sigh through the kiss, and it was the most beautiful sound he'd heard all night, he wanted to touch more of her…and who _cared _what Dorothy, or Muzzy, or anybody would think because she was kissing him back.

She was kissing him back and she'd just been screaming at him about another guy.

With sudden realization, Jimmy broke the kiss. Before Millie could say anything, before she could tell him it was all a mistake – she'd got caught up in the moment – or before he couldn't help himself and kissed her again, he fled into the penthouse.

He needed to talk to someone. Someone who would set him right – someone who knew Millie – Dorothy. He needed to speak with his sister.

"Jimmy?" A slightly disapproving voice came from his left, and he couldn't help but wince like a teenager caught sneaking out at night. Muzzy would probably always make him feel like a kid.

"Um – yes?" He turned slowly, trying to rearrange his face into a mask of innocence and calmness, as if he could not see through the door to the balcony, as if he could not see Millie leaning against the rail, knowing he had run away from her. If only he could see her _expression_…

"Why do you look like you've just run a marathon?" His step-mother stated, matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well – I – I'm trying to find Dorothy…"

"She's gone home. She thought she'd give you and Millie some privacy." A fine eyebrow was raised; her dark eyes looked at Jimmy in challenge. She knew. Of course she knew, the whole party probably had seen them…

"Listen, I – she's – "

"Different?" Muzzy's voice was filled with exasperated. "Yeah, she's _different_, because she could fall in love with you."

Jimmy's heart stopped.

"I wish." He muttered finally, and he could see a smile forming in Muzzy's eyes.

"Well, why aren't you still out there, then?" She asked, turning towards the glass doors.

"Because you're wrong. She can't love me." Jimmy told her quietly. If only Millie would turn around and look at him…maybe he would go back out there, maybe he'd change his mind, and maybe it would prove something to him.

"Oh, I don't know about that." His step-mother's voice was soft. "But maybe Dorothy can set you straight, you go on and find her."

He stalled, eyes fixed on the figure in the blue gown, barely hearing Muzzy's words. But when Millie didn't turn around, he nodded and left the penthouse without another word.

---

"But Jimmy, I know she could love you," Dorothy protested. "She'd be happy with you…she's just so stubborn! Maybe if you told her about who you are-"

"No." He said firmly as he stood in the doorframe, utterly oblivious that Millie had just stepped into the hallway and could hear every word they were saying. "She can't know. It stays between us, okay?"

"But she's my _best friend_. She needs to know."

"No, it'll be better off if we just … forget about all this. C'mon, promise me."

"Fine, Jimmy, I promise." Dorothy said reluctantly, noticing the sadness in her brother's voice and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Things will get back to normal soon, I'm sure. Goodnight, Dorothy."

"_Miss_ Dorothy."

"Not to me." He winked, a deadly move. Something he never would have done if he'd known Millie was only feet away. Oh, if he'd known, he would have turned back and explained everything right then and there. But instead, he left the building, leaving a shocked and hurt Millie in the shadows.

**A/N:** yeah, i know the fight scene was a little different. i used a lot of the original script though, and i couldn't very well steal it completely... but i couldn't think of how else to get them into that fight. but i hope you liked it, and sorry again for the delay on this chapter.


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